ICE lawyer due in court on charges he stole immigrants' IDs

SEATTLE – The now-former chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle is due in court to face charges that he stole immigrants' identities.

Raphael Sanchez resigned Monday, the same day prosecutors filed charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He's expected to enter a plea Thursday morning at federal court in Seattle.

Prosecutors say that since 2013, Sanchez stole the identities of seven people in various stages of immigration proceedings to defraud credit card companies.

Sanchez's lawyer, Cassandra Stamm, has declined to comment about the case.

Sanchez is the second lawyer in ICE's Seattle office to run into legal trouble in recent years. Jonathan Love pleaded guilty in 2016 to a charge that he forged documents in an effort to deprive an immigrant of the legal permanent resident status to which he was entitled.